The 2026/27 Premier League season is a little more than a month away from kickoff. The latest edition is set to begin on August 21 with a clash between reigning champions Arsenal and newly promoted Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium.
While some of the league’s biggest stars are currently away at the FIFA World Cup in America, the rest have already started to get back into routine for another exacting year. Among them is Liverpool right-back Jeremie Frimpong who joined the club last year for close to 30 million pounds from Bayer Leverkusen.
Frimpong had big shoes to fill with his arrival coming on the back of Trent Alexander-Arnold making his way to Real Madrid. The Dutchman had a promising start but found it difficult to keep up with the Premier League’s intensity. An injury-laden season followed as Frimpong made just 35 appearances across all competitions, lasting the entire 90 minutes in just seven of them.
The lack of playing time and pedigree even saw Frimpong miss out on a World Cup spot with the Netherlands. Both Denzel Dumfries and Jurrien Timber were preferred over him by manager Ronald Koeman.
Nevertheless, the 25-year-old is working hard to put the past behind him. Frimpong has spent the off-season toiling in Los Angeles under the supervision of private coach Nigus Kidane. With Andoni Iraola the new manager in charge following Arne Slot’s sacking, Frimpong has a chance to start afresh and establish himself as a trusted member of the squad.
However, the Manchester City academy graduate seems to have already hurt his chances before the season even begins as far as the fans are concerned. And it is not due to a fresh wound or lack of diligence, but a weird upload choice he has made on social media.
In his latest Instagram post, Frimpong released a montage of him training. Funnily enough, he was not wearing a Liverpool kit. Instead, Frimpong was donning the colours of rivals Aston Villa, specifically Argentine winger Emiliano Buendia’s number 10 shirt.
Frimpong knows ball pic.twitter.com/XOKfygjAh8
— EB10 (@astonvilla___) July 8, 2026
The two briefly shared the pitch for Bayer Leverkusen for half a season in 2025 and made nine appearances together. However, Frimpong’s connections with the Birmingham club seem to extend further beyond.
In 2024, the speedster was also spotted wearing Moussa Diaby’s Aston Villa shirt after the wide man made his way to the club from Leverkusen. Unlike Buendia, the duo played together extensively at the BayArena, forming a lethal partnership down the right flank under the tutelage of Xabi Alonso.
According to an X user, Frimpong was even seen in Villa defender and compatriot Ian Maatsen’s corporate box last year alongside the player’s family during a clash against Liverpool.
Wearing the shirts of other teams seems to be somewhat of a pattern with Frimpong. Later that year, he was also spotted in Arsenal’s home jersey when he was still plying his trade in Germany.
Despite Frimpong’s colourful adventures, Liverpool fans will no doubt be quick to forgive him if he manages to showcase the goods on the field. His first test of the new season is set to be against Newcastle at St James Park in the Reds’ Premier League curtain-raiser on August 23.
